Rural Renewal

Rural Renewal

ASIN: B00008ADQJ

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
From the 1960s to the '80s, the Crusaders--pianist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, drummer Stix Hooper, and trombonist Wayne Henderson--were a triple threat, with their Texas-based blend of jazz, R&B, and soul. Before they broke up, they produced a string of hits, including "Street Life" with Randy Crawford. This CD marks their long-awaited reunion, with their producer Stewart Levine and trombonist Steve Baxter filling in for Henderson. The recording is a back-to-basics project featuring the group's Houston-honed swing. Imagine Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with an R&B edge and you'll get this ensemble's grand grooves. Legendary rocker Eric Clapton lends his acoustic and electric guitar licks to the title track and on the funky "Creepin'." Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin and Sounds of Blackness lay down their God-gifted vocals on the inspiring "A Healing Coming On" and "Sing the Song." Some Tex-Mex flavored Latin jazz is delivered on "Viva de Funk." This date shows that these life-long friends can swing in all idioms. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Tracks:

Rural Renewal
Creepin'
Heartland
A Healing Comin' On
Sing The Song
Shotgun House Groove
The Territory
Greasy Spoon
Viva De Funk
Lazy Sundays
Goin' Home

Amazon.com

From the 1960s to the '80s, the Crusaders--pianist Joe Sample, saxophonist Wilton Felder, drummer Stix Hooper, and trombonist Wayne Henderson--were a triple threat, with their Texas-based blend of jazz, R&B, and soul. Before they broke up, they produced a string of hits, including "Street Life" with Randy Crawford. This CD marks their long-awaited reunion, with their producer Stewart Levine and trombonist Steve Baxter filling in for Henderson. The recording is a back-to-basics project featuring the group's Houston-honed swing. Imagine Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with an R&B edge and you'll get this ensemble's grand grooves. Legendary rocker Eric Clapton lends his acoustic and electric guitar licks to the title track and on the funky "Creepin'." Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin and Sounds of Blackness lay down their God-gifted vocals on the inspiring "A Healing Coming On" and "Sing the Song." Some Tex-Mex flavored Latin jazz is delivered on "Viva de Funk." This date shows that these life-long friends can swing in all idioms. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

New Brand New.......2007-03-18

Although the band consists only of very fine musicians, for some reason, they would not interact musically well enough with each other; The Crusaders were never able deliver a consistent album start to finish; good music here and there; except this time; "Rural Renewal" is the best release ever for the band. With Eric Clapton as a guest guitarist, Joe Sample and Wilton Felder are simply amazing from start to finish. Releasing their first album 44 years ago, these guys are at top of their career today.
"Rural Renewal" is recommended for any new fan that is into Soul Jazz, Crossover Jazz, or Fusion. It is even more recommended for the old fans who thought that the Crusaders's history was over.
If you like this album you would also like
Joe Sample: Old Places, Old Faces
Joe Sample: Ashes to Ashes
George Duke: After hour
The Crusaders: Finest Hour

Joe Sample fan becomes a Crusaders fan.......2007-01-25

I found Joe Sample before I found the Crusaders, even through the original Crusaders have been around longer in Houston. But, when Joe and the new Crusaders came to Houston when this album first came out, I bought the album, went to the concert as was hooked. You can hear Joe's heavy chords on his rhodes and wurlitzer in the background...but this is a team effort, with great a great horn section led by Wilton, and cool guest appearances. And Ray Parker, Jr. does a stellar job on guitar on the album (and was great at the concert too).

The first two tracks (Rural Renewal and Creepin') start great, with Eric Clapton guesting on the album (although Ray was great on them in concert). But Heartland and Viva Da Funk are my favorites, because of the blend of Joe Sample's keyboards, the outstanding horn section, tight rhythm and the subtly overlain guitars.

A good one to add to the collection.......2005-10-19

in the mid '70's The Crusaders were my entry point into jazz. They were close enough to R&B and soul music that I could understand them-unlike the fusion Gods of the time and especially the "outside" jazz folks. Having four equally talented soloists reallly set them apart and the groove was deep and wide.

Fast forward to today. The Crusaders return with Rural Renewal. It's a different record from the classic sound. Without Wayne Henderson high in the mix it loses the brassiness found on records like Southern Knights and Scratch. Also for the biggest part the guitar tracks are laid down in the groove instead of screaming over the top of it. In particular I miss Larry Carlton and his ability to take over a song and take it to new places.

So do I hate the CD. NO-I THINK ITS REALLY GOOD. Sample and Felder are fun to listen to-they are such consumate pros. Clapton's playing is tasty and the Donnie McClurkin vocal on A Healing Coming On is just really nice. That's the problem-it's a really nice cd, when The Crusaders at their best are transcendent.

I recomend buying this one, or at a minimum downloading Rural Renewal, Creepin' Heartland, Healing, Sing the Song, Shotgun House Groove and Greasy Spoon.

Enchanting Mix.......2005-05-29

This reunion CD comes on the heels of several other "Jazz Crusaders" reunions that included Wayne Henderson; so while it might be hard for fans to get a handle on "Will the real band please stand up?", "Rural Renewal" is an excellent set on its own terms. David Ritz who wrote the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" does the liner notes that detail the course of jazz from the 60s to the present & how the Crusaders/Jazz Crusaders fit within that era. Joe Sample wrote most of the songs and does a great job such as on the loose "Shotgun House Groove" that producer Stewart Levine allows the band members to improvise over the central riff with great result. On "The Territory," Wilton Felder's tenor sax settles into the groove and explodes into a delightful ride. Drummer Stix Howse penned "Greasy Spoon" that sets a funky beat with Sample's keyboards & Felder's sax in a luxurious duel. "Lazy Sundays" is breezy & laid back. Perhaps the most memorable tracks open the set with Eric Clapton guesting on both the energetic title track & the blues jam "Creepin'." A quote from Donnie McClurkin on the Oprah Winfrey show just after 9/11 lead to the lyric composition between Sample & Will Jennings on "A Healing Coming On." The Sounds of Blackness guest on the track, giving a moving gospel feel. "Rural Renewal" is an excellent set that marries jazz, blues & soul into an enchanting mix. Enjoy!

I put three cuts on my iPod, whatever that means..........2005-04-29

I'm picky with what I put on my iPod, even if it has 20Gigs... My favorites were Creepin', Heartland and The Territory, and the rest of the CD is pretty good too.

My all-time favorite Crusaders pieces are "A Message from the Inner City," and "A Search for Soul." Both are from the most underrated album of all time, "The 2nd Crusade," reach all the way back to 1972 for this gem. Some of their stuff has an unjust reputation for being Jazz Lite, but the two above are the real deal...

Anyway, the Rural Renewal stuff has echoes of the above, which is cool. Thanks Crusaders, this is definitely worth the price of admission, from a dedicated fan.

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music